Tesla’s next-generation Roadster may be delayed by nearly a decade, but the vehicle is still in active development and will be coming to market, according to Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering. In a new interview on the Ride The Lightning podcast with Ryan McCaffrey, Moravy provided a update on the highly awaited electric supercar, but did not go so far as giving a release date.
The Tesla Roadster was first unveiled in November 2017 as a surprise finale during the Tesla Semi event. CEO Elon Musk introduced the Roadster as the ultimate performance EV, promising mind-blowing specifications: a 0-60 mph time of just 1.9 seconds, a top speed of over 250 mph, and a 620 mile (1,000km) range. At the time, the vehicle was expected to launch in 2020.
However, since that surprise reveal, the Roadster has faced a series of delays and has yet to become a reality. Tesla’s focus on scaling production of the Model 3 and Model Y, as well as the development of the Cybertruck and Semi, pushed the Roadster further down the priority list. Supply chain constraints, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Tesla’s broader engineering commitments all contributed to its delay.
Now, nearly eight years after its debut, Moravy has provided fresh confirmation that the Roadster remains a serious project within Tesla. “Oh, it is definitely real. We’re working with SpaceX on that now. Cold gas thrusters are super cool, and they add a certain level of breaking the laws of motor physics,” he said in the interview.
When asked if will still be coming to market and when the last time he worked on some aspect of the vehicle, Moravy said, “I promise you it will come out. I last worked on it this past Tuesday.”
This confirms Tesla engineers are still refining the Roadster’s design and technology. The mention of SpaceX’s involvement confirms the long-teased “SpaceX package,” which Musk previously described as using cold gas thrusters to increase the acceleration to as little as 1.1 seconds to reach 60mph.
Despite the confirmation, Moravy did not give a production timeline for the Roadster. Last year Elon Musk said the design had been finalized and would be unveiled at the end of 2024, with the first deliveries starting in 2025. While the timing for the unveiling has been missed again, Moravy’s comments confirm the Roadster is still in active development and the company could still meet that delivery timeline, but given the previous delays, we won’t be holding our breath until we actually see it for ourselves.
Perhaps those most eager to see the Roadster finally arrive are those individuals who are expecting to receive two of them, for free. During the early years of Tesla’s referral program, the company offered the Roadster as a prize for earning a certain number of referrals. Without a cap, some owners were able to earn enough referrals to claim two free Roadsters.
